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Colorado will become the first state to reduce its minimum wage because of a falling cost of living.

The state Department of Labor and Employment ordered the wage down to $7.24 from $7.28. That’s lower than the federal minimum wage of $7.25, so most minimum wage workers would lose only 3 cents an hour.

Colorado is one of 10 states where the minimum wage is tied to inflation. The indexing is thought to protect low-wage workers from having flat wages as the cost of living goes up.

But because Colorado’s provision allows wage declines, the minimum wage will drop because of a falling consumer price index. It will be the first decrease in any state since the federal minimum wage law was passed in 1938.

And now for a parting thought from the bastions of decency, ACORN:

Ben Hanna, Colorado organizer for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, said the difference is small but significant for poor workers.

Small but significant? *snort* Let’s crunch the numbers here. Assuming Joe Minimum works 40 hours each week for four hours, he will make $1164.80 under the old wage, but *gasp* only $1158.40 under the new $7.24 wage. That’s a whole $6.40!!! Oh, the humanity! What will Joe do, now that he is making only 99.45% of what he was making before?

Is 32 cents a day really a significant amount for an adult? I don’t think so. But that doesn’t stop poverty pimps like ACORN organizers from declaring it so.